Cell phones at church

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Usually when I read my phone at Church - - I’m either reading a novena prayer I’ve downloaded from online, reading the bibile or reading a devotional. Or taking notes of the impressions and thoughts I have when I’m at adoration.

So really, you can’t tell what the the other person is doing on the phone. Unless you purposely try to look at it, which is frankly, creepy.
 
Yes, but I think I would also find it distracting. Bringing in cell phones clashes the profane with the sacred. They should be kept separate in my opinion. Nothing wrong with phones, or moneylending… but both should be kept separate from worship. But ultimately this would be for the priest of that parish to address. Personally I would find a different parish if possible.
 
I personally usually leave my phone in my car when in Church. I don’t use it in line for Confession. I usually write out my confession on paper. Never used a confession app. Once, I had to get it out of my car after Confession because I was assigned a prayer for penance that I did not know and needed to look it up to recite it. But normally, I just leave it in my car, because I am prone to want to play with it or check it, so I take away the temptation by not bringing it with me.
 
Nothing extreme about going somewhere else for confession. I lived in Kitchener-Waterloo a while ago, and they had, I kid you not, there 18 Catholic churches within a 25km radius. I could pick and choose times and locations that worked. It was great. If I noticed that the atmosphere in a certain parish seemed irreverent and was interfering with my prayer, going somewhere else seems like it would have been a pretty simple solution.
 
How do you know they weren’t on the Laudate app or a Catholic website looking at pre confession prayers or meditation for before confession? Just saying. I have the universalis app, I paid for it. It has all mass readings and liturgy of the hours for every day of the year etc. Sometimes I’m using it on my phone in church and people look at me like I am being rude when the reality is I am probably more engaged than those sitting there judging me over assumptions.
 
But then, I’ve never really been tied to any location or parish, since I’ve moved so often. It’s not as if I’d be abandoning a lifelong community or anything, so that might explain our difference in perspective.
 
Same here, or just turn it off. I’m somewhat paranoid that it will go off randomly during the consecration or something.
 
Socrates92 said:
But then, I’ve never really been tied to any location or parish, since I’ve moved so often. It’s not as if I’d be abandoning a lifelong community or anything, so that might explain our difference in perspective.
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It’s amazing the difference that can make. I live in an area lovingly called the “Tri-Parish” area. There are three parishes within 10 minute drives of each other. It’s easy to go from one place to another for things like confession. However, our priests are really encouraging us to stick to a single parish for Mass and build that community. I see their point, i want to play along, but right now my husband and I are kind of following a priest between the parishes who moves around from Sunday to Sunday. We just really connect with him and his homilies do a LOT of good for us.
 
lightacandle said:
Went to confession last weekend. About 15 people in the confession line and 1/3 of them were on their cell phones, browsing and texting. I don’t even know what to say to that. Thoughts???
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People are addicted to their phones. It’s like they’ve grown a new appendage. The last time I was in a restaurant, every single person sitting in the waiting area was sitting there, chin on chest, silently staring at their phone. I really mean Every. Single. Person. And that waiting area was packed. It was very weird and sad, in my opinion.

I wouldn’t worry about what people do in the confession line. Just be happy that there are still people who want to confess their sins in this fallen world. Now, if they are staring at their phones in the Communion line, now we got a problem!
 
I guess the OP would really have lost it if he were in my place the last time I went to confession… I could see (barely) Father’s phone through the divider screen. He was either reading news headlines or checking sports scores or who knows… while I was confessing.
 
In my Church no one is on their cell phones in the confessional line. I have never seen as such.
 
Aren’t you worrying about someone else by asking this question?
 
The same God who said, “Thou shalt not sin,” also said, “Thou shalt not judge.”
 
lightacandle said:
It annoys me, that’s why.
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I’m not trying to attack you. I really do want to understand your point of view. If you feel annoyed, you feel annoyed. I’m interested in why you feel annoyed. Perhaps you just do and can’t explain it and that’s fine. Everybody is different and no one should be critical of how you feel. It’s what you do about it afterwards that matters. If you feel annoyed but then recognise it’s none of your business, fine. I don’t think people here should be critical of your feelings. If you feel annoyed and you let that turn into a distraction to your own confession or you feel “holier than thou” then that’s different.

As to the answer to your op question: my thoughts are I would just ignore what others are doing. And I don’t feel particularly annoyed. Perhaps I’m a bit selfish and I don’t really care about things unless it affects me. But that’s just me.
 
How will they know if you don’t just have it in your pocket?

Would you want airport type security in churches?
 
This weird Socratic thing you’re trying out isn’t working, homie. Anyway, no, she’s not. The OP brought it up and therefore is implicitly inviting discussion. It’s not like Cillade went to his house uninvited and started interrogating him.
 
You may not have intended it this way, but there are a lot of people around here who like to play “I’m a better Catholic than you” and snark at people they perceive as being insufficiently devout. It usually involves making a lot of uncharitable assumptions and a healthy dose of self congratulation.

Again, not saying that you meant it that way but that may be what people are responding to.
 
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